Figma’s superior new Dev Mode brings designers and builders collectively By Daniel Piper revealed 21 June 23 Try the largest bulletins from Config 2023.

3 months ago 3 min read

It’s been a giant few months for Figma. The announcement of Adobe‘s deliberate acquisition of the collaborative internet design software made waves again in September, and the corporate this week launched its largest ever annual convention. Config 2023 is Figma’s first in-person occasion since 2020 – and whereas the pre-pandemic occasion attracted 1000 attendees, this 12 months’s version in San Francisco boasts over 8000, with Artistic Bloq amongst them.

Throughout this morning’s opening keynote, Figma introduced a bunch of recent instruments and options, all geared in the direction of its mission of “making design accessible to all”. Chief amongst them is a model new developer mode, supposed to lastly bridge the hole between designers and builders. And sure, AI will get a point out too. Try our Figma overview for the lowdown on our favorite UI design software.

Figma CEO Dylan Subject introduces FIgma’s core 3 targets: to assist customers brainstorm, design and construct (Picture credit score: Figma)

Dev mode

The most important replace is Dev Mode. One third of Figma customers establish as a developer, however the expertise has till now been tailor-made for designers. “Builders don’t really feel at house in Figma proper now,” Figma’s Chief Know-how Officer, Kris Rasmussen, advised Artistic Bloq. “However by bridging hole between design and improvement, we need to make builders really feel like Figma is for them.”

Dev Mode is a brand new area in Figma that makes it sooner and simpler to maneuver from design to improvement. Designers can tag a venture ’Prepared for Dev‘, and builders can get the data they want and eliminating the necessity for model updates and further communication.

“How can a design software work higher for builders? It’s a query we’ve been asking ourselves and our neighborhood for the final 12 months,” Rasmussen mentioned. “Whereas the Figma canvas is nice for freeform design exploration, it may be complicated in case you’re dropped right into a design file that’s lacking info wanted for implementation. Dev Mode is sort of a browser inspector to your design file, and it brings design ideas—pixels, layers, and teams—nearer to developer ideas like code, icons, and tokens.”

Variables

Variables in Figma

(Picture credit score: Figma)

Variables is Figma’s personal tackle design tokens, probably the most long-requested options. Figma is introducing variables to allow groups to streamline the method of making and sustaining a number of manufacturers, gadgets, and themes. Variables make design testing, iteration, and validation extra environment friendly so designers can shave hours off their workflow. Figma is the one software with each theming and help for design tokens (single sources of fact that designers and builders can reference to persistently apply UI parts like color, sizing, and extra).

Dylan Field speaking at Config 2023

Dylan Subject introduces Variables at Config 2023 (Picture credit score: Future)

Instance use instances embrace setting totally different appearances throughout cell and desktop, or in numerous areas. One other is switching between mild and darkish mode, a as soon as intricate and time-intensive course of that now solely takes a couple of clicks.

AI

i’m so excited to share that @diagram has been acquired by @figmawhere all of it started 👇 https://t.co/LFrRCJU2ptJune 21, 2023

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And naturally, this wouldn’t be a design convention in 2023 with out some point out of AI. However reasonably than simply hypothesising on the potential results of AI on design workflows, Figma has a extra concrete announcement: its acquisition of AI-powered design utility Diagram. Figma will likely be sharing extra about its foray into AI later on this week’s convention, and keep tuned for an interview on AI with Noah Levin, Figma’s VP of design, on Artistic Bloq later this week.